Come, Sweet Death
by TydRipper1
Summary: Six days after the Third Impact, Shinji and Asuka find themselves in a coastal town... But something about the end of the world is not quite what it seems...


Neon Genesis Evangelion and all of its characters  
and situations are the creation and property of Hedeiki  
Anno and Gainax. I use these characters and situations  
without permission.  
  
Come, Sweet Death.  
  
by Kyle Emmerson  
  
****  
  
The sun arose over the horizon like a shimmering  
penny over the translucent western waters of Japan. It  
had taken weeks for his travels to reach this point.  
  
Shinji sighed and looked back over his left  
shoulder at the staggering form approaching the cliff.  
Asuka hadn't said a word for days. Her first words  
since... the resurrection, had been quite plainly, 'I  
feel sick.'  
  
Since then, the only words she had even managed to  
utter were simple phrases. 'I'm hungry,' or 'good night.'  
  
Shinji sighed remorsefully. Not even a single 'what  
are you, stupid?'  
  
The reason for the travel has been quite simply,  
the smell. The smell of the rotting flesh of the... giant  
Rei.  
  
Shinji shook his head. A mere month ago, he  
wouldn't have even been able to imagine such a thing, but  
nonetheless, it had happened. He had been the epicentre,  
and all he knew was either dead... or incoherent.  
  
The smell still traveled over the lands of Japan.  
Shinji wasn't surprised. Rei's head alone was half the  
size of Japan. It has taken him six hours to pass the  
stub of her severed neck, all the while trying to keep  
from vomiting.  
  
The strange part was that there was no blood, and  
yet it still smelled of rotting flesh. As if there were  
giant maggots and flies feasting upon her.  
  
The flies. The maggots. Shinji chuckled under his  
breath. They were his only company. The insects, various  
small animals that had managed to avoid the destruction  
of the third impact. That managed to avoid being crushed  
by various body parts. Shinji saw a dog the day before.  
Cold, starving and alone, however fearful. The dog had  
taken one look at the approaching forms of Shinji and  
Asuka and ran, an abusive testament to the remains of the  
human race.  
  
Shinji watched with mild amusement as a cockroach  
scuttled around on the road below him. He brought his  
foot down and crushed it without another thought.  
  
They had no right. No right at all. How dare they  
survive the human race? How dare the little  
unintelligent, anti-sentient creatures manage to live  
past them? Sure, they could survive nuclear  
contamination. They were resistant against many, many  
poisons, but Shinji thought... no, he knew that they  
wouldn't be able to survive the third impact.  
  
As Shinji travelled the deserted Japanese isles, he  
noticed something of great importance.  
  
The skies may have been blood red, staining the  
sun, moon and stars with its impurities, but the cities  
were intact.  
  
In fact, had he not known the third impact had  
happened, he could have sworn there were people in the  
houses. Watching television, laughing and joking with  
family and friends.  
  
But no, it was impossible. The cities were intact,  
which was how Shinji and Asuka had fed themselves, eating  
canned foods from the supermarkets and convenience stores.  
Sleeping in the show beds in department stores, or using  
some poor soul's futon.  
  
Shinji looked to the north. The coast still went up  
for quite a way, but it too exhausting for him. No. He  
wouldn't go today.  
  
The city they were in at the moment was not badly  
damaged. The smell was faint here, but the giant head  
rotting in the distant horizon stood testament to the  
fact that it would only get worse. He had to get off of  
Japan. Maybe to China.  
  
He and Asuka would camp out in the city for a day  
or two, perhaps try to find a small boat or something in  
order to travel across the ocean. They would have to  
stock up on supplies. They would have to--  
  
Shinji paused. He heard something. A small squeak  
at first, then it grew into a full blown gasp. He spun  
around to see Asuka, her eyes wide with... fear,  
surprise, amazement. Full of something.  
  
And then she pointed to the ground, with a shaky  
hand.  
  
Shinji's eyes burst open.  
  
Footprints.  
  
There were footprints. HUMAN footprints.  
  
And they were fresh. Shinji followed the deep  
impressions in the soil for a good twenty feet until he  
turned to ensure that Asuka was following.  
  
She was, even if slowly, and focusing her full  
attention to the impressions.  
  
And Shinji followed them for as along as he could.  
But it wasn't long enough.  
  
The footprints ended as the soil gave way to  
concrete road.  
  
He squatted to the ground, fingering the edges of  
the footprints gracefully. They were small, perhaps  
belonging to a young person. Maybe ten, twelve.  
  
Shinji shook his head. There couldn't have been  
more survivors. There was no way. After what had  
happened... People were only left as a pool of rancid pus  
and a pile of clothing.  
  
It was impossible.  
  
Shinji looked up. The road let out into a series of  
storefronts, with a few upper floors, some windows  
looking out over the street.  
  
He had to look. If there were survivors, then that  
meant...  
  
That meant hope. That meant that the human race  
could continue, the right way.  
  
That meant...  
  
That meant he didn't have to be alone.  
  
He stood up and regarded each storefront with  
severe interest.  
  
Most seemed ragged, the windows stained by the  
stale air, but one stood out in particular. It had  
perfectly clear windows, even the signs had been  
maintained.  
  
And flower pots stood outside of the front door.  
  
Shinji looked back to Asuka and gestured her to  
follow. He then stepped onto the hard concrete ground and  
made his way nervously to the store.  
  
He paused just before appearing in front of the  
window. If there was someone there, it meant the change  
of everything. It meant that humankind could live on,  
other than two... invalids, there would be living people.  
Civilization would have a chance--remote as it may be, to  
return.  
  
And Shinji wouldn't be alone.  
  
The nervousness had remained in full force. Shinji  
was afraid to go further, he even came close to the point  
where he would refuse.  
  
And then he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned  
around to see Asuka, her blank expression suddenly  
changed.  
  
She looked... she looked like she truly cared.  
  
"Go," she said, a tinge of a sob crackling in her  
voice. "I'm with you."  
  
Shinji was shocked. It was the first... coherent  
thing she'd said since... the third impact.  
  
Shinji looked forward, held his breath, and then  
stepped into the doorway of the store.  
  
He looked around and let his jaw drop.  
  
"Hi there! Can I help you?" the cheery little girl  
behind the counter asked.  
  
Shinji was dumbfounded. "I... You..."  
  
The girl blinked in confusion. "What's wrong? Did I  
miss a spot while cleaning?" She looked around  
thoughtfully, checking the counter for dust and generally  
examining the place. "Mom will be mad when she gets  
back!"  
  
Shinji turned around to look out the window. Same  
red, hateful sky. Same deserted street. Same Asuka,  
looking just as confused as Shinji.  
  
"How... did you get here?" Shinji asked.  
  
The girl smiled. "Well, I live upstairs."  
  
Shinji shook his head. "No, I mean how are you  
still here?"  
  
"Where am I supposed to go? I've been trying to  
call the electric company, but the phones seem to be dead  
too." She tapped her finger to her chin thoughtfully. "In  
fact, you two are the first customers we've had in days."  
  
"A week," Asuka muttered.  
  
The girl nodded.  
  
Shinji was completely dumbfounded. Here was a  
twelve year old girl, all alone for a week, but acting as  
if the Third Impact were nothing more than a trip to the  
bathroom.  
  
"Where are your parents?" Shinji asked.  
  
The little girl blinked, then looked down. "I... I  
don't know. I woke up one morning, and they were gone. So  
I opened the store myself. But they'll be back! Same with  
the rest of the town. It's just a joke."  
  
Shinji scoffed. "A joke? Have you seen the sky?  
Have you looked to the east?"  
  
The girl gasped, taken aback. "I..."  
  
"Look around! There's nobody left! There's just...  
just us. And that's it."  
  
The girl shook her head. "No, it's just a big joke.  
I know it is."  
  
Asuka pushed Shinji to one side and walked over.  
"Listen to us," she began. "We've travelled all the way  
from Tokyo-3, and you are the first person we've seen. I  
don't know how you managed all by yourself, but you've  
got to face reality."  
  
The girl shook her head. "I don't wanna."  
  
"Please. Tell me your name," Asuka suggested.  
  
"Aki... Aki Yonizama." She looked towards the  
ground.  
  
Asuka reached over and cupped Aki's chin. "You  
aren't alone any more."  
  
Aki looked up. "I... I wasn't... alone, I couldn't  
have been."  
  
Shinji stared breathlessly as the two girls stood  
in the crimson light from the dawn sky. The shaded forms  
seemed to stand absolutely still.  
  
"Come with us," Asuka suggested.  
  
Aki shook her head. "I can't... I've gotta wait for  
my mommy."  
  
Shinji closed his eyes. She had called her mom  
earlier, and now it was mommy. She was regressing after  
learning of the harsh reality.  
  
"Aki, listen. I lost my mommy too. I was very young  
when it happened, and I wanted to wait for her too."  
Asuka began. "But I found the longer I waited, the more  
it hurt that she wouldn't come. Aki, you've got to make a  
choice. If you want to stay here, we'll stay here with  
you until you're ready to come, but we can't leave you.  
We won't."  
  
Aki's tears were flowing freely from her eyes,  
staining her clear complexion.  
  
"Aki, we'll stay with you. We're three of a kind  
right now. Maybe the last of our kind. We've got a great  
responsibility."  
  
"I..." Aki choked on her sob. "I don't know."  
  
Asuka turned back to Shinji. "We've got to stay  
with her, Shinji. We have to."  
  
Shinji was dumbfounded. Asuka had said barely three  
sentences for the past week, yet now she seemed to be  
more solid than he himself.  
  
And she was taking care of a girl not two years  
younger than her as if she was her own child.  
  
Shinji swallowed, his Adam's apple bobbing as he  
did so. "We..." He sighed. "We'll stay."  
  
It was true. He couldn't leave her there. No matter  
how much he wanted to leave Japan. No matter how much he  
wanted to get away from the stench.  
  
No matter how much he hated his father.  
  
He couldn't leave her alone. Shinji looked around  
the store, tears beginning to well up in his eyes. Things  
were different. So different.  
  
Shinji had to face things. He had to. No more fear.  
No more running away. He had to take care of not one, but  
two people now.  
  
And it scared the hell out of him.  
  
He walked toward Asuka and Aki, and placed a hand  
on their backs.  
  
"We won't leave you, Aki," he said.  



End file.
